What happens when the engagement ends?

You keep everything — code, infrastructure, documentation, and the reasoning behind the decisions. I'd rather write things down as we go than leave you dependent on me being reachable.

How do you work with an existing team?

However works best for yours — in your repos and standups, or heads-down and reporting in. I'm comfortable reviewing other people's code and having mine reviewed.

Isn't hiring one person risky?

It's a fair concern, so I work to reduce it: small increments, working software early, and no black boxes. Everything lives in your accounts and repos from day one, not mine.

Do you actually build with AI, or just talk about it?

Build. The tooling linked above — a git assistant, an LLM cost estimator, a workflow triage CLI — is open source and came out of real day-to-day use, not a demo.

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From Demo to Production

I help teams turn promising prototypes — AI features, apps, internal tools — into software that holds up in production. Senior engineering, and I write the code myself.

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Start a Conversation

I usually respond within a day.

What I Do

Services

One Person, a Full Toolkit

From first sketch to shipped product — full-stack engineering and AI systems, backed by design and interactive media.

Applications & Software

Full-stack builds from idea to production — web apps, internal tools, and the infrastructure behind them.

BuiltSpecForge Strut Vercel Doorman

Websites & Branding

Sites and visual identity that make a new product or company feel considered, not templated.

Builtdirectory.griffen.codes

AI Automation & Workflows

Practical AI integration — automating real workflows in your business, not bolting on a chatbot for show.

BuiltAugments

AI Engineering & Best Practices

Production-grade AI systems: evaluation, guardrails, cost control, and the engineering discipline that keeps them reliable.

BuiltCoco TokenTally

Game Design & Interactive Media

Level design and game systems — the mechanics, pacing, and feedback loops that make something fun to play rather than merely functional.

Builtink-playing-cards tCheckers tBlackjack Kaleidoscope

Have something specific in mind?

Tell me what you're building and where you're stuck. I usually respond within a day.

Start a Conversation

Collaborators

Partnerships

Trusted By

A few of the teams and organizations I've built for over the years.

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Hey bud written in bold white letters on a black background.

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New york post red background white text .

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Who's Behind It

About

Who You'd Be Working With

No account managers and no hand-off to a junior team. Just me.

Griffen Fargo

Full-stack & AI engineer

Based in: Vermont, USA · Eastern Time
Experience: 10+ years shipping production software
Works: Remote, in your repos and standups

LinkedIn GitHub

I'm Griffen, a full-stack engineer based in Vermont. For more than a decade I've shipped software people depend on: publishing platforms that reach millions of readers, compliance products in heavily regulated industries, and the developer tools I build in the open.

Lately a lot of that work is AI — wiring models into real workflows, then doing the unglamorous part (evals, guardrails, cost control) so they hold up after the demo.

When you hire me, you work with me.

Track record

How It Works

Process

Straightforward, From the Start

Available for select engagements — here's how one usually starts.

Start a conversation
Tell me what you're building and where you're stuck.
Scope the work
A short discovery pass, then a clear, honest plan.
Build together
Regular check-ins, working software early, no black boxes.

Working Together

Engagements

How Engagements Usually Take Shape

Every project is different, but most start as one of these.

Discovery

A short, focused pass to pin down what you actually need before anyone commits to building it.

Project build

Scoped delivery of a specific thing — an app, a site, an integration — shipped and handed over.

Ongoing advisory

Recurring time for teams who mostly need a senior second opinion, review, or unblocking.

A good fit if

You need a senior who actually writes the code, not an account manager
You've got an AI prototype that works in a demo but not in production
You want one person accountable end to end, without agency coordination overhead
You value being told when an idea is a bad one
You need game systems or level design thought through, not just implemented

Probably not if

You need a large team scaled up fast
You want the cheapest possible bid
The outcome is already fully specced and you just need hands on keys
You need 24/7 on-call ownership of production systems

Sound like a fit?

Send a few lines about what you're building. If I'm not the right person for it, I'll tell you.

Get in Touch

Questions

FAQ

The Things People Actually Ask

What happens when the engagement ends?: You keep everything — code, infrastructure, documentation, and the reasoning behind the decisions. I'd rather write things down as we go than leave you dependent on me being reachable.
How do you work with an existing team?: However works best for yours — in your repos and standups, or heads-down and reporting in. I'm comfortable reviewing other people's code and having mine reviewed.
Isn't hiring one person risky?: It's a fair concern, so I work to reduce it: small increments, working software early, and no black boxes. Everything lives in your accounts and repos from day one, not mine.
Do you actually build with AI, or just talk about it?: Build. The tooling linked above — a git assistant, an LLM cost estimator, a workflow triage CLI — is open source and came out of real day-to-day use, not a demo.

Get In Touch

Contact

Let's Build Something

Drop a line — a project pitch, a question, or just to say hi.